Lithium ion battery technology is becoming the standard for rechargeable energy storage systems. Lithium ion batteries are able to store up to three to four times as much electric energy as currently used rechargeable batteries.
However, current lithium ion battery pack balancing technology has the disadvantage that it requires complex and costly electronic control and balancing circuitry that may be inactive for long periods of time.
Currently, balancing the capacities of series connected lithium ion cells in a battery pack system is accomplished using resistors connected by switches across each cell combined with cell voltage monitoring and computer control. The resistors dissipate a relatively small amount of power and are activated infrequently. Large battery packs with multiple sources of differential leakage currents cause the battery pack capacity to diminish and not be available for rapid use at all times.
Current battery pack balancing technology is not able to balance group of cells connected in parallel and then series which have been inactive for long periods of time.
A need exists for a method for balancing various types of battery packs and cells using continuously active control circuitry regardless of the state of the battery pack.
The present embodiments address these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.